Switches are characterized by two or more switch positions in which a stable or metastable state is set and force must be applied in order to overcome a resistance when changing from one switch position to another. This resistance is usually formed by elastic spring elements whose resulting spring forces must be overcome during a switch position change. The common light switch on the wall is an example where the push and pull that gives rise to the two positions (‘on’ and ‘off’) arises from spring elements set in opposition to one another. For the switch to change positions, there must be an agent of force application. For the wall light switch, the typical agent of force is the human finger. A combination of switch and a system that can apply a force to alter the switching position will be called a “switching device.” The wall switch and human agent constitute a switching device. Groups or arrays of switching devices will be referred to as “switching systems.”
Capillary switches also work according to this basic principle. Herein “capillary” means pertaining to or as a manifestation of surface tension. In this type of switch, the spring forces are formed by the surface tensions of the liquid used. The basic principles for a capillary switch are known from, Boys, C.V.: “Soap Bubbles and the Forces which Mold Them”, Doubleday Anchor Books (1890), which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Two soap bubbles which correspond via a connecting tube and are filled with air are described therein. Each of the soap bubbles endeavors to reduce the air volume which it surrounds due to surface tension, or in other words, to respectively press air into the other soap bubble via the connecting tube. Since the surface tensions of each soap bubble make it such that the bubble surface is kept as small as possible, two stable operation states emerge which are characterized by a large (super-hemispherical) and a small (sub-hemispherical) bubble. In other words, one stable state has bubble A large and bubble B small while the other stable state has bubble B large and bubble A small.